


Off Your Feet

by magicasen



Category: Avengers (Comics), Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, New Avengers (Comics)
Genre: M/M, New Avengers Vol. 1 (2004), Sparring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-25 12:32:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13834350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicasen/pseuds/magicasen
Summary: Steve decides that Tony needs to brush up on his hand-to-hand. He doesn't consider that he might be getting in over his head.





	Off Your Feet

**Author's Note:**

> My letter for the alphabet challenge was "B"! So I went with **B** ack to Basics. Thank you to laireshi for the beta!

Tony showed up to the gym just as Steve asked him to. He had on a black t-shirt, sweatpants, and, most importantly, no tech.

“I still don't see why that part's so important,” Tony grumbled as they worked on their stretches on the floor. Then he grinned. “Old man.”

“Back to basics, Iron Man,” Steve told him. “You can't bring your armor to every fight.”

“I'm getting to that point one day,” Tony said, spreading his legs wide. “I've had way too many clothing mishaps in closet rooms, and not the fun kind.” His torso bobbed a little as he attempted to reach his foot. Steve's eyes followed the line of his leg, straight to the center of the V they made, and then looked back up at Tony, who'd been watching him.

“But who am I to refuse another Captain America training course?” Tony asked when he switched sides. “I thought that was a once-in-a-lifetime sort of deal.”

“You don't have room to refuse. You're getting sloppy. I can't let you run around town, co-leader of a new Avengers team, when you're barely passing combat room hand-to-hand simulations.”

Tony stilled. “You watched those tapes?”

“I watch _all_ the tapes, Tony.” It was his duty to keep track of his team's training.

Silence followed, and with Tony's troubled expression, Steve had to conclude he done something to ruin the moment.

After they'd finished their stretches and checked the wraps on their hands, Steve stood in front of Tony, crossing his arms. “We're going to go through all the basics, but now that I know more of what you're capable of and how often you're actually fighting, I'm not going easy on you like last time.”

“ _Easy?”_ Tony looked aghast, and Steve held back a grin.

“Today, we're going to focus on something that uses more of your strength in spatial awareness.”

“What?” Tony's sharp eyes searched him like he was looking for a joke. “Spatial awareness?”

“Tony, you're flying a high-tech suit of armor every day. The positioning to keep that in the air and maneuver the way you do is no joke.”

“Right, right.” Tony patted his palms on his thighs before rubbing the muscles there. “Go on, then.”

“I want to get you on the ground.” Steve felt the heat rise on his cheeks the instant he heard the words from his mouth. From Tony's smirk, Steve's slip of the tongue hadn't gone unnoticed.

Well, it was the truth. “Grappling, rolling, groundfighting. We can try it out, see if you like it.”

“Yeah, I have no doubts about that one,” Tony said. His expression nearly made Steve shiver.

“I'm serious, Tony.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Right. Steve took a stance, and Tony mirrored him. “Okay, first things first. Hit me.”

“I'm sorry?”

“Throw a punch, come on.”

“Where?”

“Anywhere.”

Tony frowned at him, and they needed to work on him telegraphic his moves. His arm shot out, aiming for Steve's chin. Steve had planned to parry it, but changed his mind at the last instant and ducked to the side. It was a close one, and from the expression on Tony's face, he knew it.

“I throw a pretty mean punch, don't I?” Tony grinned, as they circled each other.

“Not bad,” Steve admitted. He'd thrown it in the right place, and that could make up for any lack of strength. “Try again?”

“All right. This time, I'll get you,” Tony grinned, and his next punch was intended for Steve's solar plexus. This time, he stumbled when Steve's body slipped his arm, and in the next instant he was on his back on the floor, blinking up at Steve.

Steve knelt down, pinning Tony's chest with a knee, just enough to keep him from moving.

“When you're out of the armor, it's not about how hard you can hit them,” Steve said. “Who's going to go after you unless you're outnumbered, or they _know_ they're stronger than you? That's why you'll end up like this. And you're going to be able to get them down with you, and be the first one back up.”

Tony exhaled through his nostrils. “Okay,” he said, and his chest heaved under Steve's knee.

“Okay,” Steve said, then he dropped and rolled to the mat next to Tony. “Get up, I want to show you the sweep first.” 

“How sore am I going to be tomorrow?” Tony asked before he did what Steve wanted him to.

“You're the one who agreed to this,” Steve told him, and as Tony pouted at him, he kicked a leg out, catching it behind Tony's knee and knocking him off balance. 

Tony's instincts told him to do anything to prevent the fall, so it was an easy task to roll them over, twisting his own body to match Tony's, before he was on top of Tony, securely pinning him.

That was when Steve realized that this may have been a mistake.

Their faces were inches away. One forearm was across Tony's neck and shoulder, and the other was holding an elbow down, rendering Tony's arms useless. His knees were secure against Tony's thighs, spreading Tony underneath him. His skin dug against Tony's. He'd never given much thought to how much skin pressed against skin to keep a hold.

Tony's skin was flushed. He was breathing through his mouth now, and it made it hard to look anywhere but his lips.

“Yeah, okay, teach me how to do that,” Tony finally said after he caught his breath. 

* * *

Steve's takedown hadn't been the most basic, and they couldn't start with it. Steve told him so, trying to ignore how aware he was of his own skin and how it might not just be Tony who wouldn't be able to stand hours of intense grappling practice.

Tony brushed off the rejection surprisingly easily, and they spent the next hour working on sweeps. By the time Tony had shed his hesitation, was regularly getting Steve off his feet, Steve was satisfied with his progress and told him so.

On the bench, Tony was less aware of Steve and his eyes than before, resting his elbows on his knees, head hanging low, but nodded at Steve's approval.

“Tony, are you okay?”

Tony raised his head, blinking. His hair was plastered to his forehead in sweat, and the hair that he kept so carefully groomed were out of place, curling at strange odds and ends.

He smiled honestly. “I'm fine, Steve.”

He pulled the towel off to wipe at his arms, and Steve followed the movement.

“How long would it take for you to get your armor if you were caught off-guard?”

Tony was thoughtful as he took gulps from his water bottle, stopping with a loud sigh of relief. “It really depends on how evil-slash-incompetent the attackers are, but I'd say within ten minutes if I'm in the city.”

“You're breathing pretty hard. Let's call it a day?”

Tony was up on his feet instantly. “Give me one last spar,” he insisted. It made sense after they'd spent most of their session drilling—why not humor him?

“Oh, do you want to lose again?”

“No shame in losing to Captain America,” was all Tony said as they got into position. “But just like you always tell me, treat this like it's real. No more going easy on me.”

“Whatever you want, Tony.”

It wasn't much of a spar as they circled each other for several long minutes, waiting for an opening. Tony was being much more oddly cautious, but that was just as dangerous as being too hasty. If you missed the perfect spot, it meant your timing was off, and letting your opponent that could prove fatal.

Steve saw Tony's feint, and dove forward. Tony froze, eyes wide, and Steve was ready to veer off to spare Tony's face before Tony fell. Steve paused, because he'd made sure not to touch Tony, before his world turned upside down.

He tried to twist his body as he fell, but one leg, then the other, were pinned, and his elbows and therefore his arms followed in short order.

It wasn't nearly the same grapple that Steve had used on Tony. He'd relied on his superior physical strength to help pin Tony down, but who needed brawn when you were a supergenius? One of Steve's legs was down on the mat, and the other had been forced over Tony's shoulder. Tony leaned his other shoulder against Steve's arm. He grinned, and sweat ran down his face.

“Easy now?” Tony's voice was gravelly, dropped an octave lower, and now that he was literally between Steve's legs, there was no stopping the sensation that sparked in his groin.

Steve opened his mouth to answer, but didn't know what he could say that wouldn't give him away, and left it hanging. Tony's eyes dipped down to Steve's mouth. Oh god, Steve hoped he hadn't looked like that when he'd been staring at Tony's mouth earlier because it was pouring oil on the fire.

Tony looked up from underneath his eyelashes, and Steve thought he could melt into the floor right here. He licked his lips. Tony wasn't letting up, even if they both knew Steve could put on a burst of super-strength to throw him off if he really wanted.

Instead, Tony leaned in, slowly, hesitatingly, like he was reminding Steve that he could stop him any moment.

Their lips met, and before Steve could surge up and shove his tongue down Tony's throat, Tony pulled back. Steve whined, lifting his head, before he gave up and slammed it back against the mat and closed his eyes.

When he opened them, Tony was watching him curiously.

“Don't kiss your opponent, Tony,” Steve finally said.

“Okay.” Tony leaned in. “But can I kiss my teammate? Can I kiss my friend, my idol, my partner?”

_Can I kiss you?_ He asked like he didn't know what Steve would answer.

“Yes.”

They fell into the kiss, two, three, and Steve lost count as he ran a hand through Tony's hair, slid his fingers across his neck and over his shoulders. They parted for half-breaths, and Steve's lust cooled from an uncontrollable blaze to its coals, an endless source that could burn, untouched, forever. Tony made soft noises into the kiss, and he went when Steve pushed and rolled them over, not breaking their kiss. He pressed down against Tony, and felt Tony hard against him, and it was being buried in high tide, the heat that ran over every inch of him.

Until a loud crash came from nearby, and _that_ broke their kiss. They raised their heads to watch one of Tony's armors gliding toward them, holding a repulsor gauntlet out.

“Oh shit,” Tony said. “Oh my god.” It took a moment for Steve to realize he was trying not to laugh.

“Tony,” Steve said slowly, staring at him until he finally could keep the laughter down for two seconds. “Please tell me that's you controlling it.”

“It is,” Tony told him, and he was shaking now. “I said treat it like it's real! Ten minutes, and if you hadn't gotten me by then then it was lights out for you.”

Steve looked down at him again, at his red, wet lips. “So, that's why you were taking your time when we started sparring.”

“To be fair, you did get me,” Tony finally said, and he threw his head back, giggling.

Steve sighed and put his head down on Tony’s shoulder. “This is definitely not what training's supposed to be like.”

“You _definitely_ haven't watched all of the simulation room videos,” Tony told him. “Adrenaline running, sometimes you just really need to give yourself a hand. I thought you'd caught me deleting the proof earlier, but that look on your face says otherwise.”

“You—you really need to learn some respect,” Steve said, shifting uncomfortably, although it wasn't like Tony didn't already _know_ how he affected him.

“I'm all up for that. I am up for nothing else but that, after that much foreplay. I both admire and resent your control, Steve.”

Steve didn't feel like he had much of it, and when he leaned back down and Tony parted his lips invitingly, Steve paused.

“Tony, I can't kiss you when your armor is staring at us like that.”

“Fine, fine!”

They both sat up, and Steve helped Tony to his feet. Tony sent his armor away, before turning to Steve.

“Bed, then,” he said, taking Steve's hand. “Back to the basics, right?”

 


End file.
